Lock, stock and barrel.....

..... moved to http://ruminateatleisure.wordpress.com/

WW-4

Riot of Colors

On the last Sunday of January, for the past 8 years, Kumara Kripa Road in Bangalore says no to vehicles and transforms into a riot of colors. Artists from all over the country come together for the Karnataka Chitra Sante. Paintings in all hues, artists of all ages line the road and it is indeed a feast for the eyes and senses as you walk down in the shade of the huge trees on both sides.

Here are a few glimpses from this year's fest....

Beautiful Budhaas.....

Proudly displaying her art....

It is so life like, you have tear your eyes away to move on....

There were more than three artistes with similar paintings....

Lovely, isn't it?

Saw this awesome one last year too...

What I liked best this year was these portraits by Vipin Raphael. Look at the eyes of that girl, it is so full of life that it is almost impossible to believe it is a pencil sketch.

The artist is from Kochi :-)

p.s. - photos courtesy hubby dear

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I know it is a little late and you and your elves are very busy arranging all those gifts, but you know it has been a few weeks since my woman friday went home and running after my little elves has been too much not just on my knees but everywhere.

Anyhow, this year I have decided not to be selfish and here is my list on behalf of millions of women and few hundred men across the globe..

1. New Age Home Cleaner
This is a machine somewhat similar to what we call a vacuum cleaner. You take it into a room, plug it in and leave. Go back after half an hour..voila..the bed is made, windows are dusted, curtains are drawn, mirrors are cleaned and the floor is sparkling clean

2. Mobile Washing Machine
Very compact, I should be able to move it from room to room with ease. Again, plug it in, put in the clothes...let it be for two hours. Go back to the room...the clothes are washed, dried, shampooed, conditioned, ironed and folded neatly. Ithink I'll be able to manage keeping it in the cupboards.
The machine requires no water and has herbal cleansers built into it

3. Sensory Curtains
These are curatins with dust and cobweb sensors. When the above washing machine comes into the room, these curtains beep just to let us know they are dirty. As soon as they sense the machine in the room ,they come down on their own. Put the curatins in, leave it for an hour and half....curtains are cleaned and kept near the respective windows. You switch on a tinly knob on the curtains and they are back in place

4. Corden Bleau Cooking Range

This is a very intelligent appliance. You can download recipes from the net on this. Select your recipe of choice for the day, put all the ingredients in the required qunatities, set the time and open when the time is up. Your dish is ready.

You see, the advantage is anyone can be a master chef. You don't have to sell your house and take a loan too to have five star dinner or lunch.

I should be able to manage with these four for 2011. Intelligent clothes, Automatic child awaking alarms, cars that run on water, etc etc can wait for another year.

Yours Truly,

A Very Harried Mother

p.s. A Merry Christmas to you all!!

Relationships

Forgot my phone at home a few days back.
Son took a call, "Hello, my mother is not at home"
"Who are you?"
"I am my mother's son"


Brother had left his bike at home for a few days.
Father went to pick up son from Sunday school on the bike.
Son to his friend, "This is my father's brother-in-law's bike"

WW-3 Do I know you?

Nostalgia 1

When you meet someone close after a long time, the now asleep memories of the good old days start waking up slowly and you go back years ....

I am lucky I should say, to call a place as home one of the 50 places you must see before you die, or so the National Geographic says - the backwaters of Alleppey, Kerala. We grew up in the town, but both sets of grandparents had their homes in the heart of Kuttanad


Most of you must have seen at least pictures of houseboats. Now imagine a much samller version of that - that was my grandmother's car. All the landed houses had these with a driver - the oarsman or the 'oonnukaaran' as they were called.

The most awaited time for us kids was the summer holidays, two months of absolute bliss, two grandmothers waiting with tins full of savories and sweets and hearts overflowing with love. The highlight of these two months was the 'Edathua Perunnaal '(festival in a 200 year old church in a village of Kerala, patron saint is St.George). My grandmother hailed from this place.

Summer holidays was the time when my grandmother - ammachi we called her - would embark on her yearly trip to see her mother and take part in the festival. And with her would be a troop of kids, her grandchildren. The memories of those trips are still so fresh in my mind.

The trip would start at about 9 in the morning, ammachi sitting at the front of the miniature houseboat, the kids inside, peeping through the tiny windows on both sides. These boats were a small version of the houseboats that you see now, but only half of the boat covered. And instead of a motor engine, there would be the oarsman who would either paddle or maneuver it skillfully with a long bamboo pole. The trip always started with a prayer.

We would drift pass houses on the way, cross rivers, see never ending lush fields, pass through canals, waving at people on both banks. Many of them would pass on their offerings to the church. Some of them knew my grandmother well and there were even a few relative's houses on the way.

We would also pass several churches on the way. Ammachi would make the boat stop for a few minutes at each and say prayers which were diligently repeated by the young brood. At noon, our 'driver' would stop somewhere, mostly under a tree and we would have the sumptuous lunch packed by my mother. Washing our hands and mouth in the river right from the boat was a big adventure for us.

Finally, we would reach her home at about five in the evening. Our cousins would be waiting for our arrival and we would jump right away into the river for an hour long bath and games. The next few days would be church in the morning and hogging and running around like monkeys at the innumerous relative's places.

The torrential summer showers would almost always accompany us on our way back, greeting us with thunder and lightning as we reached home. All of us would be huddled together under the cover of the boat with the poor 'oonnukaaran' drenched and furiously paddling away to reach as fast as possible.

And now, to think that today it takes 45 minutes to reach that place instead of a journey that took us alomost a day!

(all pictures courtesy google images)

Mood Today

Was feeling a little low after a medical report which said I was too sweet and then watched this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnBeeG-Gv-k&feature=related

Isn't she a joy to watch? I just love the total abandoned way she dances.
And the song...do I even have to say anything?

WW 2 - Solitude

Take an 's' away

Son has been pestering us to rent the 'Fast and Furious' DVD. After the 100th reminder the same day, mother was violent,"You say that once more and you are not going to get it the next 12 months."

Silence for a minute...

"Amma, do you know what is Fast and Furious without an 's'?"

"What?"

"You"

(didn't get it? - Fat and Furious ;-) )